


it's the thought that counts

by INTPSlytherin_reylove97



Series: ...and they were roommates [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Domestic Reylo, Established Kylo Ren/Rey, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:21:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21945778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/INTPSlytherin_reylove97/pseuds/INTPSlytherin_reylove97
Summary: “Really?” Ben eyed the bowl warily. “Isn’t Secret Santa a bit…juvenile?”“No, it’s fun!” Poe shook the bowl in front of him again. “The mystery of it all, the gift shopping, finding something awesome and meaningful!”“I can do that without having to keep it a secret,” Ben deadpanned. It was a well known fact within in their friend group that Ben Solo was the ultimate gift giver.~*~Housemates Rey, Ben, Poe, Finn, and Rose decided to start a new tradition of Secret Santa.Which goes horribly, horribly, wrong.
Relationships: Finn/Rose Tico, Poe Dameron/Poe Dameron, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Series: ...and they were roommates [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1580212
Comments: 30
Kudos: 212





	it's the thought that counts

**Author's Note:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!
> 
> I made dumb poll on twitter about a SW Trilogy Secret Santa gift exchange and it is now a silly little fic!
> 
> Typos will be fixed later! Enjoy :D

* * *

**_December 10th_ **

“Really?” Ben eyed the bowl warily. “Isn’t Secret Santa a bit…juvenile?”

“No, it’s _fun_!” Poe shook the bowl in front of him again. “The mystery of it all, the gift shopping, finding something awesome and meaningful!”

“I can do that without having to keep it a secret,” Ben deadpanned. It was a well known fact within in their friend group that Ben Solo was the ultimate gift giver.

Last year alone he gifted Poe a new dog house for BB (something Poe had dreamed a bemoaned about for months, and had been shocked still when Ben brought the present) a signed copy of _Hidden Figures_ for Rose (who squealed and hugged him causing Ben to stick by Rey’s side the rest of last Christmas), tickets to _The_ _Troopers_ concert for Finn (who also tried to hug Ben, but Rey was able to intercept before her poor boyfriend died from anxiety), and an engagement ring hidden in a replica of her favorite plushie as a child for Rey.

So yes, it was well known, Ben Solo was the ultimate gift giver.

And made everyone else look like shit in comparison.

“Well Ben not all of us come from multiple trust funds and have a ridiculously high paying job.”

Ben scowled at the implication. “I’ll have you know my job doesn’t pay _that_ much and it is called being wise with my money, which you are _not_.” He wasn’t wrong; Poe was awful with his savings and money management, once buying a car on a whim because he liked the _color_.

Naturally, his parents cut him off after that incident.

Which then led to Poe fending for himself. An amusing, if not humbling sight.

But he was still shit with his money, Ben having to cover his housemate’s quarter of the rent more times than either would like to admit.

Ben shifted on the couch, glaring at the bowl. “But what if I already got gifts for everyone? Then I cannot do Secret Santa.”

“You can still give the gifts!” Finn piped in from the kitchen. He and Rose were finishing up dinner, half listening to the conversation. “I will gladly take any gift you give me, Ben!”

Poe rolled his eyes. “That is not the point!” He shook the bowl back in front of Ben. “The point is this is supposed to be fun and maybe give us a chance to start a new tradition instead of trying to get a long list of gifts! So take a damn name, Solo.”

Eyes darting between the bowl and Poe, Ben raised an eyebrow. “Why not White Elephant instead?”

“I swear to fucking god—”

“Just take a name, Ben!” Rey called out, emerging from down the hall. Her was still wet from her shower, dampening the sweater she stole from him. Half of his sweaters had found their way into Rey’s drawers rather than his, she commandeering without batting an eye. She stopped by the bowl and plucked one out. She grinned at the name and tucked it into her pant pocket before anyone else could see. “Perfect! I’m excited,” her stern hazel eyes dropped on him, imploring, “and you should be too.”

Feeling guilt bubble up inside him, Ben sighed.

With reluctance, he snatched a slip of paper.

_Rose_

Damn it.

* * *

“What the fuck am I supposed to get her!” Ben hissed. He hunkered down on the edge of the tub, his toothbrush gripped tightly in his hand. “I peaked last year—I absolutely fucking peaked last year.”

Toothbrush in her mouth, Rey gave her fiancé a shrug. “ _Mawbe_ ,” her face scrunched together, “ _awofoer boo_?”

Ben leaned forward, not sure if he heard her correctly. “What?”

She spat out her toothpaste and rinsed her mouth. “I said, ‘maybe another book’? I don’t know! You’re the one who is good at this stuff.”

“Does she even really like reading? I only got her the book because she loved the movie.” Rose Tico would not shut up about _Hidden Figures_ after they watched it during a movie night, Ben getting the idea to get her the book when Christmas rolled around last year. He of course had to go above and beyond when he stumbled upon a book signing when he purchased the book. What were the odds? He just had that Solo luck sometimes.

“I guess?” Rey winced out. She shuffled to the other side of the bathroom, she and Ben switching spots as he moved to brush his teeth. “Is it awful to say I never really noticed? She is computer engineer and loves Tolkien! Maybe get her something _Lord of the Rings_?”

While Rose was their friend and housemate, neither Rey or Ben were particularly close to her. Finn was attached at the hip with her, an excruciatingly long budding romance there. And when Rose wasn’t with Finn, she had her friend Jannah over.

There was never one on one time, not that Rey and Ben were not at fault.

Afterall, they were _Rey and Ben_. The couple Poe liked to call, “disgustingly cute and admirably wholesome with an underlying hotness to make anyone swoon.” Plus, they were both just simply _busy_ people. They barely had time for each other, let along figuring out how to build friendships with a housemate.

“I feel like that is cheap,” Ben huffed, truly bothered on his lack of gift ideas. “I want it to mean something.”

“Not all gifts need to have meaning, Ben.” Rey grabbed a comb off the counter, an heirloom once belonging to his grandmother. His mother had gifted it to Rey a few birthdays back, the silver comb a form of welcoming her into the family without saying any words. Narrow tooth comb easily slid through her chestnut hair, Rey’s pace leisure and patient.

He could never work with such pace.

“Who’d you get?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

His calculated eyes swept over her, remember how her eyes lit up at her selection.

It wasn’t him—he knew that for sure. She would have tried, and poorly done so, to act coy at her selection. Too nonchalant.

But she wasn’t. She was _excited_.

And not the fun excited, the mischievous excited.

“You got Poe didn’t you?”

She glared. “Fuck you.”

Ben crumpled into laughter. Even as she threw a dirty towel at his face, he could not stop smiling.

* * *

**_December 14 th_ **

****

“Hey Peanut,” Finn bumped Rey’s hip. He slid into the kitchen was a forced casualness, leaning against the counter. “How’s my favorite sister-gal,” her eyebrows shot up at the awkward term, the slang sounding off coming from Finn, “doing at…” he glanced at the microwave clock, cringing, “at five in the morning?”

Rey pursed her lips. Finn’s presence while not unwelcomed, was a bit on the odd side. No one in the house woke before five in the morning, she seemingly the only early bird. Not by choice, of course, but by design. With five people in the house, getting a moment alone to decompress was rare. So maybe she had to untangle herself from Ben at the wee hours of the morning just to maintain her sanity for the rest of the day. He understood while other’s didn’t.

Like Finn, who seemed utterly repulsed by the concept of waking up before the sun.

She hummed, humoring him. “Alright considering it is as you said, five in the morning. And I usually spend this time drinking my coffee and meditating…but sure, _okay_.”

Finn glanced around. “Ben’s not up is he?”

“No,” Rey dragged out the word, curious by the sudden mention of her fiancé, “do you need me to get him for you?”

“No!” Finn blurted out. “No, no. Just…I got him for Secret Santa.”

“Really?” Rey beamed, on the verge of a near squeal. “That’s awesome. I can’t wait to see what you get him.” She always wanted Finn and Ben to be closer, her love and her chosen brother two of the most important people in her life.

And Ben tried. He tried so damn hard.

He hung out with him when Rey wasn’t around, even sat through numerous trashy reality tv shows to find something—anything—to bond over with Finn.

The closest thing they got was _food_. They were both heathens who enjoyed pineapple of pizza. But then again Ben enjoyed anything on pizza, so even that one was a stretch.

“That’s the thing—I have no clue what to get him.” Her oldest and dearest friend slumped against the counter, pathetic. “And I feel bad because he’s your guy.”

“He’s my fiancé but yeah, ‘guy’ I guess is another suitable term.”

Finn ignored the comment, wrapped up in his own agony. “And I feel like it needs to be special— _really_ special.”

Rey sighed, too early in the morning to be having this conversation. “The gift doesn’t have to be special. Just thoughtful; it is the _thought_ that counts.” She left him for the fridge to rummage for some cream for her coffee. “Plus, Ben isn’t a big gift guy.”

“You’re joking right?” Finn rushed over to her, leaning against the fridge door. “He gives the best gifts!”

“Just because someone gives the best gifts doesn’t mean he likes receiving them,” Rey explained patiently. She had given Ben enough gifts over the years to know he felt awkward about the exchange.

_“It feels transactional,” Ben explained once. They were organizing his bookshelf after one of his family’s numerous Christmas parties a couple of years back. A simple, mundane task he gravitated towards when especially anxious and did not mind when Rey participated. “Here is your gift, and here is my gift. Great we did the gift giving thing we are required to do as a society or else we are considered rude.”_

_“I never saw it that way…” she confessed. “ ‘Tis the season for giving’. Ya know?”_

_“I don’t like getting gifts on my birthday either,” he muttered. He grunted switching the placement of A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations; they were not in the correct order of publication date and it would make his eye twitch if he didn’t fix it. “My parents…they’d sort of shower me with gifts as a kid. And they’d always give me something—a toy, a book, a videogame—right before they left for whatever business trip they had.”_

_Rey exhaled, understanding dawning. “I see.”_

_Sensing her mild disappointment, he cleared his throat. “But I love giving gifts. Gifts that matter. Mean something.” He ducked his head down, gazing too intently on the hardcover of A Christmas Carol. “And, uh, I wouldn’t mind any gifts from you. Because I’d know they’d mean something.” His eyes searched her face, a slither of pleading in his warm brown. “Right?”_

_She planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. “Of course.”_

Glancing back into the fridge, she found her creamer and closed the door shut. “It’s not in his love language. He likes to give, not receive.”

“Wow, way too much info, Peanut,” Finn replied cheekily despite the sleep in his eyes. “Don’t need to go into detail on you and Solo’s—”

“I wasn’t,” she hissed, face aflame. For being together for nearly four years, she and Ben were rather bashful about the intimate parts of their relationship. Privacy was privacy, and no one else needed to stick their nose into their business. “You are just ridiculous.”

Finn became more distraught over his predicament. “Well then what do I give a person who hates getting gifts?”

Rey hated to admit it, but Finn had a point.

Her fiancé was difficult to shop for, Rey able to find little loop holes to his agitation towards gifts. But she very well wasn’t going to reveal all her tricks and codes to cracking the enigma that was Ben Solo. That was only for her to know, and no one else.

“Get him something fun and practical. He can’t get upset about that.” She finished fixing up her drink, pushing the creamer in Finn’s direction. He poured a heaping into his own coffee. A gag nearly clawed out of her; she’d never understand sweet tooth’s.

“Like what?”

“Like…maybe socks?” She tapped on the counter, humming over the possibilities. “Or a scarf? Or a hat? A knit-cap? His ears do get cold in the winter.”

Finn snorted.

Rey glared. “That wasn’t meant to be a joke! His ears do get cold!”

“Right, right.” He held his hands up in defense. “Sorry. Your guy can get cold.” He snapped his fingers. “Wait doesn’t Ben like Harry Potter?”

Rey grinned. “Loves it.”

He had numerous Hufflepuff memorabilia tucked away in their closet, only wearing his nerdy shirts on the weekends or when they went to Wizarding World for quick little vacations through out the year. Hufflepuff merch was rarely manufactured, so when Ben saw _anything_ related to the house, he bought it.

“Perfect! Then I know just what to get him!”

“Do you need any help?” Rey was quick to ask. “I know his house theme can be difficult to find.”

Finn shook his head, far too smug. “I got this, Rey.”

His confidence did not soothe her, but who was she to argue? “Whatever you say…”

* * *

**_December 21 st_ **

“I got Rey _the_ perfect gift,” Poe announced as he left _HOTTOPIC_. He swung the small black bag in front of Rose, who stood waiting outside the store with her pretzel and soft drink. “She’d going to love it and laugh, and see that her fiancé isn’t the only expert gift giver.”

Swallowing her bite of pretzel, Rose eyed the bag. “What did you get her? Socks?”

Poe deflated. “ _No_!”

Rose crossed her arms over her chest, all five foot one of her shining in smugness. “You _did_ get her socks.” She chuckled. “I can’t believe you Dameron!”

“They are fun socks! With cacti cartoons! She’ll love it!”

“ _She’ll hate it_!” Rose shot back, aghast. “Rey spent part of her child in the foster system—”

“Yeah, I know.”

“IN THE DESERT!”

Poe stilled, the reality of his gift dawning on him. “SHIT!”

“Yeah, _shit_ ” Rose set her drink and pretzel down on the planter. With great force, she shoved him towards the store. “Go and return it and get something better! Even if it’s pins!”

Poe marched right back into HOTTOPIC…

Only to come back two minutes later.

Shoving his hands into his pocket, he rocked on his feet, mumbling.

Rose leaned forward. “What was that?”

He glared at her before clearing his throat and trying again. “They don’t do refunds or exchanges on clearance items.”

“And let me guess?” Rose’s voice remained low and eerily still. “You’re broke again aren’t you?”

He winced. “Maybe?”

Grabbing her pretzel and drink from the planter, she shook her head. “I’m not saving you from this one Dameron.” He didn’t argue against her, knowing she was in the right. “Now come on we have the exchange tonight and I still need to get my gift.”

“You still haven’t gotten your gift?” Poe blanched. “What is wrong with you?”

“I wouldn’t be talking if I were you,” she warned. “And I know what I am getting and I planned it all out. See the difference?”

“Fine, whatever.” Poe grumbled. “Let’s go get your gift.”

* * *

That night the Cantina was in full swing, plenty of people coming out to the pub for a weekend out or for their own Christmas gatherings. Sitting at their house’s usual booth, Ben fiddled with the small package on the table. They all agreed to use the same wrapping paper and boxes for their gifts, making sure to mark the recipient’s name.

Ben was first to arrive, mostly due to his own nervousness of being late and not getting a booth. Luckily he was able to snag their usual spot and Rey was already on her way, just getting off shift from the animal shelter she volunteered at on the weekends.

The others…well Ben was positive Rose and Poe would be late, he bumping into the two as he left for the pub. And Finn would probably be last minute with his gift as well, wanting it to be good for whoever it was.

But Ben he was secure in his gift. He came to the conclusion he didn’t know what to get Rose because he didn’t know her and she didn’t know him as well as they should have. With some encouragement from Rey, he decided to let a piece of himself be in the gift. An olive branch of friendship towards Rose saying ‘yes, I do want to open up and be your friend.’

Thoughtful _and_ sentimental.

Just as a gift should be.

He just feared she’d end up hating it.

But Rose wasn’t mean natured, so he at least had that fact as security.

“Oh thank god, you got our booth,” Rey said as she came barreling into the spot beside him. She dropped her tote bag on the table, digging through her mess. “Traffic was insane and I was running around all afternoon putting the final pictures in the photo album for him and—” Her hands stopped. Her words stopped. Her entire being stopped. “ _Fuck_.”

“What? What happened—”

“Fuck,” she repeated, digging deeper into the bag, as though it would lead her to another portal. “I can’t believe—I’m an idiot. I am a fucking idiot.”

“Rey, you need to tell me—”

She whirled on him, eyes wide in panic. “ _I left Poe’s gift at the shelter_.”

Ben hunched forward, checking to see if any of their housemates were around. Once he saw the coast was clear, he grabbed her bag, looking for himself. “What do you mean you left it at the shelter? Why did you even have it there?”

“I was putting it together in my down time and I guess I just left it on the counter when I was locking up.” She reached back into the bag, removing the small roll of wrapping paper and tape. “But I somehow remembered the fucking wrapping paper. _Way to go, Rey_.”

“Uh,” Ben stuttered, not wanting to have Rey in a tizzy and leave Poe without a gift, “do you have anything in your bag that you can use as a substitute?”

She paused, staring at him in utter disbelief. “Yes, I do. Because all women carry around absurd, gift ready things in their bags—”

“That’s not what I meant—”

“But that’s what you implied,” she shot back. “But you’re right. I should just find something in here and give to him. Make it a gag or something. He’d like that right?”

“Sure—it’s Poe,” Ben rolled his eyes, “who the fuck knows what he likes.”

Rey snorted in agreement. Dropping a couple of pens and notepads on to the table, she scavenged a bit more before pulling out an unused stick of deodorant. “This…this will do.”

“Sure—yes.” Ben nodded. “ _Of course_ , sweetheart.”

Quickly, while none of their housemates were there, Rey wrapped the deodorant up in the gaudy wrapping paper and tossed it on top of Ben’s gift. And in perfect time, Rose and Poe arriving a few mere moments later.

“You guys got here early,” Rose cheered, sliding in on the bench across from them. She quickly slid her gift into the pile of identical gifts growing at the center of the table. “Order drinks yet?”

“No not yet,” Ben said, saving Rey from accidently blurting out what she’d actually been doing, “we wanted to wait until more of us showed up.”

Taking that as his cue, Poe hurried off to get drinks. As he chatted up the bartender, Finn came in to the Cantina, beelining to their table. He tossed his gift unceremoniously into the pile and sat beside Rose. “I don’t know about you guys, but I am ready to open gifts!”

Half hearted murmurs came from the table, Finn slumping at the lack of enthusiasm from the group. “Wow, okay tough crowd.”

“It’s not that—” Rey began, before clamping her mouth shut—Poe had just came back with their beers and a two glasses of wine. “Hey, you’re back!”

Ben cringed at her greeting. Rey did not know when to play it cool, and not overcompensate. Sensing her odd, behavior Poe opened his mouth to speak, only to get cut off by an over eager Rose.

“How about we start with the presents?” She suggested, reaching for the pile. “Here is Rey’s.” She passed off the gift, it feeling light in Rey’s hands. She frowned down at it. A lightweight gift was marginally concerning. “And Ben’s.” He took the gift without sparing a glance or feeling it’s weight, just dropping it beside his glass of wine. “Poe’s—Oh, it has a little weight to it,” she teased. He snatched it, shaking it by his ear like a rambunctious child. “Here is Finn’s.” He took his with a grateful nod, excitement buzzing in him. “And mine!”

“Do we want to all open them at once?” Poe asked, looking around the table. “Or take turns?”

Murmurs of indecisiveness chorused between the group.

Ben could only handle so much, taking the reigns from Poe. “Alright—we are all going at once. _On_ three. None of that ‘on’ or ‘after’ three bullshit. _On_ three, okay?”

The table nodded in agreement, all getting at the ready.

“One….two…three!”

All five of them hurried to tear off their wrapping paper, all their handiwork at various stages of skill.

Poe was the first to get his completely unwrapped.

And he simply gapped at the melon scented deodorant in his hands.

Rose was next, a hesitant and polite smile on her face. But her eyes shined in disappointment at the copy of _Jane Eyre_.

Finn was no better, though more puzzled by the stack of playing cards he received.

Ben…did not have a reaction per say. Just opened his gift and set the Slytherin beanie aside. His expectations were low, and had been low from the beginning.

But Rey…

“What the fuck sort of joke is this?” She held up the cacti socks. She scanned the group before zeroing in on Poe. “Why the hell would you get me this?”

He scoffed, offended. “Why would you assume it was me?”

“Because you are the only one who is big enough dumbass to get me this!”

“Okay since we just jumping right into this vicious guessing,” Poe’s eyes snapped to Ben. “Why you always got be an asshole? _Deodorant_? Really Ben?”

Ben glared, lips verging into a snarl. “I wasn’t your person!”

“Yeah, he was _my_ person, Poe,” Rose chimed in.

Ben’s eyes widened. “No I wasn’t.”

She sighed, unamused. “Yes, you were. Who else would get me _Jane Eyre_ as a gift?”

“Maybe it was Rey! It is also _her_ favorite book,” Ben shot back, hating how quick Rose was to guess him.

His fiancée huffed, dropping the socks on the table before sliding her eyes between Rose and Ben, annoyed. “It was _not_ me. I am _not_ your person, Rose.”

“Then are _you_ my person?” Finn asked, tossing the boxed deck of cards between his hands. “Because I am confused as hell what the cards are supposed to mean. Did you forget to get me a gift peanut?”

“I’m not your person!” Rey shouted, exasperated.

Finn frowned. “But then that would make you Ben’s person and I _know_ you are not Ben’s person.”

“Wow, Finn you are _so_ subtle,” Poe quipped. He rolled his head to Ben. “Finn was your gifter, Ben.”

“I know,” he deadpanned.

“You knew?” Finn cried out. “How did you know? Rey, did you tell him?”

“ _No, I did not_!”

“I knew because I heard you that morning you asked Rey for advice on a gift,” Ben answered, lifting his wine for a sip. Sighing in mild satisfaction, he shrunk at the tables bothered gazes. “What?”

“You should have said something!” Poe rubbed his temples. “This Secret Santa was a shit storm from the beginning,” he groaned.

“I could have said something, but I didn’t and I don’t see the problem.” Their stares continued, guilt beginning to crawl on Ben. “I knew who was person, _so what_? I knew Finn was going to get me something Hogwarts—no big deal. I had a feeling he was going to get me something Slytherin because it is Rey’s house. I am okay with what I got.”

Finn slumped, defeated. “Slytherin is not your house?”

Ben shook his head once. “I’m a Hufflepuff.”

Opening his mouth to argue, Finn thought better of it. “Actually that does make sense.”

“Okay, let’s take inventory,” Rose began to list off, “so Poe had Rey, Finn had Ben, and Ben had me—"

“I did not have you!” Ben insisted.

Rey laid a hand on his bicep, sending him a pleading eyes. “Babe, just stop. She knows.”

“Fine.” Ben leaned back, tension sliding off his shoulders. “I had Rose. I got you _Jane Eyre_.”

Forcing a polite smile, Rose stared down at the novel, baffled. “May I ask why?”

Opening and closing his mouth, Ben struggled for the right words, not thinking he’d have to explain his gift. “Uh…it is my favorite book. Has been since I was a teenager. And while I am not trying to force my literary tastes and preferences on you, I thought maybe this can be a way for us to know each other better. For you to know me better,” he stumbled over the words, the heat of embarrassment dancing up his back, “because you can learn a lot from someone when you share your favorite book and maybe this can help us become better friends.”

Rose blinked at him in surprise, not expecting such a thoughtful answer. Her forced smile soften to a genuine twitch of the lips. “Then I love it. I can’t wait to read it, Ben.”

Relief coursed though him, Ben the most relaxed he could be since stepping into the pub.

“So Ben had Rose, and Poe had me, and Finn had Ben which means…” Rey’s eyes traveled back to Rose. “Which means Rose had Finn!”

Finn spun around, stunned. “A deck of cards?”

“Open the cards, dummy,” Rose shoved him playfully, urging him on.

Finn opened the pack, spreading out the cards. Flipping over the cards, his eyes became alight. Each held a special note…

“ _My favorite part of the day is talking about anything with you._ ”

“ _I love it when we eat junk and talk about going to the gym and never do_.”

“ _The Office became my favorite show purely because I love hearing you laugh_.”

“Rose…” Finn breathed, “I…I love it. I love you—”

“Get a room,” Poe grumbled. Without mercy, Rey kicked him the shins. “Ow!”

“Shut the fuck up, they are having a _moment_!” she hissed.

“I love you too,” Rose admitted quietly, eyes only Finn. “But I just didn’t know how to say it until now and—” her eyes darted to the waiting, misty eyes of their housemates surround them. “And we can talk about this in more detail later, right?”

“Yes. Yes,” Finn answered hurriedly. He took her hand in his squeezing it once. “We will definitely talk. I promise.”

The two continued to share a love sick gaze, making the rest of the table various degrees of uncomfortable.

Taking on for the team, Poe cleared his throat. “If Rose had Finn, and Finn had Ben, and Ben had Rose,” he stared down Rey, sure and hard, “that mean I had you,” he pointed stubbornly at her, “and you had _me_.”

Rey sat back, jaw locked. “Maybe,” she said with a jerky shrug. “Maybe I did have you.”

“Then what the hell!” he cried out, tossing the deodorant towards her.

“Oi, _you what the hell_!” She shot back. “You got me cacti socks!”

“Because I thought they were funny!”

“They are not!” Rey huffed, rolling her eyes. “And for your information, that isn’t your real gift,” she snatched the deodorant back and tucked it into her purse. “Your real gift was left at the animal shelter. It was a photo album filled with pictures of _you_.”

“Me?” he squeaked. “Like just me in all my me-ness?”

“ _Yes_.”

“That is the best thing anyone can get me,” Poe said, voice full of joy.

“I am a pretty awesome gift giver,” she said a little miffed. “But you are still shit.”

The group chuckled and murmured in agreement, returning back to their drinks as the appetizers Poe ordered came.

Ben leaned over to Rey, his nose brushing her ear. “Do you want my Slytherin beanie? I am not much for green. But I know you are.”

She turned to him with a smirk. “I’d love to have your beanie. If you want me to.”

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Ben picked up the Slytherin beanies and pulled it snug on her head. The green and black pomp-pomp dance happily at the top, befitting of Rey. “Merry Christmas, Sweetheart.” He pressed a sweet kiss to her temple. “And I promise this is not your only gift.”

“Oh, I know.” She nudged him playfully, before gently pressing her lips to his. “Happy Christmas, Ben.”

“Ew! Get a room!”

“ _Shut up, Poe!”_

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! Comments and kudos are always appreciated; love discussing the fic with readers :D


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